Have you ever had to saw firewood using a carpenter’s handsaw? “Laborious” describes this best. It doesn’t take long for your arm to fade. A friend from Sweden showed me a different way to use a hand saw that can make the task easier and faster by making the saw usable by two people at the same time.
Today’s typical handsaw has a hole at the top corner of the blade toe. This hole is provided to hang the saw on a nail or hook for vertical storage on a wall. This technique uses this hole as a point to fasten a cord or wire that in turn is fastened midway onto a stick or bar that is used as a two-handed handle for a second person. This allows the second person to “pull” the blade in rhythm with the “push” of the primary saw operator. When using this technique it is best to put the stronger person in the primary push position and the weaker person in the pull position, but laborers of equal strength can choose either side and switch occasionally to lessen fatigue.
So next time you find yourself in this sawing situation, remember this trick, draft a friend, and “git-er-done”.
Reminds me of the two-man shovel, which is shown in the book, Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual. A rope is tied around the neck of a standard shovel near the blade. The shovel-er plunges the shovel into the ground. The rope holder then pulls the shovel full of dirt up and out as the dirt is deposited in a pile above ground. Must be synchronized for maximum effect.